GAME DESIGN

StudyCrafter

StudyCrafter is a free platform where users can create, play, and share interactive experiences with an emphasis on scientific research. It is currently in development at the Northeastern University PlayIT Lab. It features a set of tools that let users design custom experiences and share them with anyone. The StudyCrafter tools allow users to create a wide-variety of projects, from virtual science experiments to visual novels to full-fledged games.

I joined the StudyCrafter project at its inception in 2014, working alongside professors Casper Harteveld and Gillian Smith to develop its foundation. Since then I have assisted with design, asset creation, branding and web development for the StudyCrafter project.

The official website for StudyCrafter can be found here. Please note that the website is currently a work in progress.

GolfBox

GolfBox is a fast-paced arcade game in which you race against the clock to score points and earn your spot at the top of the leaderboard. It features over one hundred items to unlock and a plethora of trophies to put your skills to the test. GolfBox is the first game from BearSnake Interactive was released on the Google Play store in May 2018.

I created all the art assets for this game, and assisted with the design process. I also created the trailer and other marketing materials.

GeoExplorer

GeoExplorer is a National Science Foundation funded project, developed by the Northeastern University PlayIT Lab, aimed at improving the learning experience of geotechnical engineering undergraduate students. It incorporates a mix of classroom sessions where the students learn about the Cone Penetration Test (CPT) and play the game simulating this field test. They make decisions in the game based on their engineering judgement and submit a report based on the data collected at virtual field sites.

I designed the website for the fictional company Terra Inc., which serves as the virtual employer of the students during their time with GeoExplorer. I created the overall look of the website, and produced several unique graphics for it. I also assisted in the level design of the virtual environment.

Marblehead

Marblehead is a 2d-platforming adventure game, made for my senior capstone at Northeastern University. I served as the art director and created all the art assets for the game. I also assisted with the design of the game, including coming up with the original concept.

In Marblehead, you play as a robot named MRBL-HD as it explores a strange yet familiar world. The robot is able to get around by walking on its arms, or by rolling on a special magnetized ball. During its journey, MRBL-HD learns new abilities from the townsfolk it comes across, allowing it to reach new areas and find hidden secrets.

Marblehead was chosen as a selection for the digital game showcase at the 2016 Boston Festival of Indie Games. It can be downloaded for free at this page.

Hollow Beat

Hollow Beat is a surreal action-adventure game that stars Kae, a young woman who struggles with depression. The game opens with an emotional breakup between Kae and her now ex-girlfriend Nisha, and things only get worse from there. Throughout her journey, Kae phases between three unique parallel universes, each one representative of a different mental state. As Kae makes her way through the city of Wake Village, she will make new friends, encounter her inner demons, and learns new ways to cope with her condition.

This is the first game from Cult Quiet, a game design collective made up of alumni and students from Northeastern University, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. As the art director for Hollow Beat, I oversaw the design direction for the game, and created the majority of the art assets and animations.

The Leap of Faith

The Leap of Faith is a short 2d-platforming game in which the player assumes the role of a research participant in the "blind faith" trials at the mysterious Andorf-Walden Institute.

I made this game in a weekend as an experiment in game design. The game is not particularly challenging, but it asks the player to consider the illusion of choice in video games and question their assumptions about why things are the way the are.

Working Title

Working Title is a platform adventure game starring two different, yet closely intertwined individuals. Malcolm is a recent graduate and aspiring writer, and Beau is a disillusioned homeless man who lives on a park bench. They don't know each other, but somehow their minds have started to share the same space. As their thoughts start to mix together, they begin to lose sight of who they once were. Who is Beau? Who is Malcolm? Working Title delves deep into a twisted mind that dreams for two.

Working Title was developed as a student project at Northeastern University. I was the primary artist for the game, and made the majority of the art assets. As its name suggests, Working Title is a game that was never finished. I include it on this list because I am proud of the work that I did for it and thought it was still worth showing.